Unfilled Need

Although there are at least 60 veterinarians practicing in the greater Santa Barbara area, there is apparently only one, Marjory Mason, who will come to your house to perform euthanasia on your pet. Last Wednesday, my 13-plus-year-old dog quite suddenly went into decline. My regular vet is not in his office on Wednesdays, and I made the decision to wait until Thursday morning to call for an appointment, which was arranged for early that afternoon.

Unfortunately, by that time, my dog was unable to get up, and I was unable to lift her to get her into the car. I immediately began trying to find a vet to come to my house since my vet was unwilling or unable to come right away. I was given Dr. Mason’s phone number and left a message. As my dog lay struggling, I was frantically trying to get help. No luck. I was devastated that I could not ease her suffering.

Surely, given the enormous number of dogs in our community and the stress involved to humans and their pets to transport an extremely weak or dying animal to CARE or a vet’s office, there should be more vets willing to step up and provide this service. My dog died that afternoon without receiving aid. I am so angry about this.—Judy Weisman